u/Relative-Coach-501

I have three pets and a roach situation that's been getting worse since it got warm. Seeing one or two american roaches a week now, mostly in the garage and sometimes in the kitchen. I know these aren't the bad kind but I still don't want them in my house.

The problem is every product I pick up at the hardware store has warnings about keeping pets away for hours or days after application. I work full time and I can't exactly relocate three animals every time I spray. I need something I can use regularly without turning my house into a hazard zone for my pets.

I've been spraying bugmd around baseboards and door frames and it hasn't caused any issues with the animals. But I'm wondering if there are other options people with multiple pets have found that work well.

Also open to non spray solutions. Traps, baits, whatever. Just needs to be something my dog won't eat or my cat won't knock over.

Living alone for two years now and most days are fine but there are stretches where I don't speak out loud for days at a time and that starts doing something to your head after a while. I've tried a couple ai friend apps just to have something to talk to and some are better than others for this specific situation. The text ones are fine but there's something about typing that still feels isolating when what you need is to hear a voice or just talk out loud to something. Anyone here living alone found one that helps with that specific feeling or is it all just texting

my building has like 3 washers for the whole floor and theyre constantly taken or broken and I genuinely cannot spend 2 hours at a laundromat on top of everything else going on this semester and i've been letting it pile up longer than I should admit. i asked a friend who lives near brickell about it and she said shes been using no scrubs but i have never even thought of this and tbh have no idea what to look for or if it is actually worth it. i have the budget for it so i would not mind but i also don't want to use it if it just sounds nice and it ends up sounding better tahn it is. Any help, recommendations or even other services are welcome. Thank you

Not looking for a top 10 list. Genuinely asking because I've started and quit so many of these that I'm starting to wonder if the problem is me and not the app.

Does anyone actually have one they've been using consistently for more than a few months? What made it stick?

Going back next month for three weeks and the spending money question is stressing me out. ATMs give terrible rates with fees from both sides. US credit card works some places but not everywhere especially in smaller towns where half the shops are cash or UPI only. Apparently even chai stalls have QR codes now so the move seems to be loading my Indian bank account beforehand and just living on UPI for the trip.

I already use taptapsend and wise for family transfers so figure the same apps work for sending to my own Indian account. Rate from either one is way better than any ATM or airport money changer. Anyone done this before a trip? How much buffer and is UPI genuinely accepted everywhere or is that overhyped?

I've been thinking about making the jump and the answers I get from people who've done it are all over the place. Some say income is way better and more consistent now, others say the first few months were rough and unpredictable.

What I can't figure out is whether the difference mostly comes down to the connections you walk in with or whether starting from scratch is just genuinely hard for everyone at first regardless. Would love to hear from people who've actually been through this, specifically whether you'd do it the same way again.

I see people posting "is this worth anything?" constantly so figured I'd put together what I actually look at when assessing whether a record has value beyond what I paid for it. This stuff isn't complicated but it takes some practice to know what you're looking at.

First thing is identifying the pressing. Not all copies of the same album are equal. An original pressing from the year the album came out is almost always worth more than a reissue or repress, sometimes dramatically more. Flip the record over and check the matrix numbers etched into the dead wax (the smooth area near the label). Those numbers tell you which pressing plant made it, what stamper was used, and sometimes include handwritten notes from the mastering engineer. Cross reference those with discogs to figure out exactly which version you have.

The label itself matters too. Look at the design, color scheme, and text formatting because labels changed their visual identity over the years. A columbia "six eye" label from the early 60s is a different beast than a columbia label from the 80s even if it's the same album. Same goes for atlantic, verve, blue note, and basically every major label that's been around long enough to have distinct label eras.

Condition is everything though. A rare pressing in poor condition is worth a fraction of the same pressing in near mint. Grade honestly using goldmine standards: check for scratches by holding the record under a light at an angle, check the jacket for seam splits, ring wear, water damage, and any writing or stickers. The sleeve condition can affect value almost as much as the record itself.

Limited runs and out of print releases tend to appreciate over time especially if the artist blows up after the pressing. Small label runs, numbered editions, and compilation formats where multiple artists appear on one record are all worth keeping an eye on because once they sell through they rarely get repressed. I've got some vinyl moon volumes from years ago that go for more than I paid now because they're limited colored vinyl pressings that aren't coming back, and the artists featured on them have gotten way bigger since. Same thing happens with small label 7 inches and regional compilations that nobody thought to save.

The biggest thing is just learning to check before you assume something is or isn't valuable. I've found $200 records in dollar bins and I've seen people turn down $5 for a record they thought was rare that absolutely wasn't. Discogs is the baseline for pricing but completed ebay listings tell you what people are actually paying versus what sellers are asking.